M-V

Mu-5 M-5

Mission Profile

The M-V (Mu-5, M-5) was a three-to-four-stage Japanese solid-fuelled launch vehicle in the Mu family, the largest and most powerful all-solid rocket ever operated, developed by ISAS for scientific satellite delivery. Standing 30.8 m tall with a 2.5 m core diameter and a liftoff mass of 139 tonnes, it generated 3,792 kN of first-stage thrust and could deliver 1,850 kg to low Earth orbit. First flying in February 1997, the M-V launched the HALCA radio astronomy satellite, Hayabusa asteroid sample return mission, and several other important Japanese scientific missions before being retired in 2006.